HEAR US OUT! Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress, and Hope, 1950 to the Present

HEAR ITS OUT! Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress, and Hope, 1950 to the Present by Nancy Garden Farrar Straus Giroux, 2007, 230 pp., $18.00 GLBT/Short Stories ISBN-13: 978-0-374-31759-1

This collection of short stories, all written by Garden, portray gay and lesbian teens from the 1950s to 2000 and beyond. The book is sectioned by decades, each featuring an historical account of the era as applicable to the homosexual community, followed by two short stories featuring gay and lesbian teens during that time.

The historical accounts are richly detailed and full of lesser-known facts, with Garden's personal commentary interspersed throughout. The stories are of quality but contain little topical information, making many difficult to date, if read separately. Such details would have provided a stronger sense of each era and issues faced by respective characters.

Still, earlier stories are marked through social acceptance, and later by HIV-AIDS, PFLAG groups, or gay marriage, ending with a futuristic view of gays and lesbians enjoying full social acceptance. This is a must-read for its historical sections alone, and Garden's newest stories fail to disappoint.

Lisa A. Hazlett

Vermillion, SD

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Summer 2007
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